Improved oae-seat and chaie



w. N. BRAGG.

car seat and chair.-

No. 78,570. Patented June 2, 1868.

Phnmulhognpnar. Wnhington, |10.

@uiten tetes stent @fina WILLIAM N. Buscar, oF RICHMOND, VIRGINIA, AssIGNoR To IIIMSELF, W. H. TRAINHAM, AND J. Ii'WINsroN, or SAME PLAGE.

Letters .Patent No. 78,570, dated June 2, 1868.

IMPROVED GAR-SEAT AND CHAIR.

TO ALL WHOM IT MAY GONCERN Be it known that I, WILLIAM N. BRAGG, of the city of Richmond, in the county of Henrico, and State of Virginia, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Railroad-Chairs or Car-Seats; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, andr exact description of the saine, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters oi' reference marked thereon, making part of this specification, and in whch- Figurel a side elevation of the seat, with jointed back-piece turned up, and headfpad in place.-

.FigureZ is aside elevation, reversed on the platform, with the jointed hack-piece turned down.

Figure 3 is a plan of the platform or plnth.

Figure 4 is an enlarged section of the in`clined-plane plates, seen at D in'iigs. 1 and 2.

Figure 5 is an enlarged detail section ot' the operating connecting-bars, by which the pawls on the rockshaft are operated.

The nature ot' my invention consists in the combination Vof certain devices in a railway-car seat, so as to render the same adjustable-within itself, so that the occupant, by raising a hand-lever conveniently situated, can adjust the back to any desired angle, and, by releasing the lever, the seat will remain stationary, thus rendering it more desirable than those usually made adjustable, where the least motion of the occupant causes an oscillation, which is unpleasant. My invention also consists in making the chair so that it can beireadily turned in the cars, so as to face either way, and yet preserve the same adjustable features.

In the drawings, A A are the arms of the seat; A1, a vertical connecting-bar, jointed to the lower end of arm A at al. A2 is a second horizontal connecting-bar, jointed to the iirs't bar A1 at a2, and at the rear end conf nected to amok-shaft, a3, which is pivoted, at each end, into the lower end ofthe back legs or standards of the seat. B is the back-frame and hindleg in one piece. B1 is a short arm, connected with B by a hinge-joint, and Bzs a supplementary piece, acting as a pillow or 11ed-rest, and joined to Bl by a flexible hinge, of leather, cloth, and other suitable material. C C are pawls, connected with the rock-shaft, and situated just inside of the legs or standards, and the lower ends of which are made to iit the holes inv the foot-board plate, marked' d3 d3, die. These pawls are rigidly fixed to the rock-shaft (t3, and move together, as will be fully explained. C1 is a. bell-crank, with the lever G2 extending above the seat; and this crank is placed in a mortise through the side-frames, immediately under the arms A A. One only may be used; but two will give a stiffer movement to the rock-shaft, as will lbe explained. D is a platform, having raised inclined planes, D D', at each end; E E, the standards, upon which the front end of the seat is pivoted, by the pins, at'E. Fis a foot-board, between hind legs; a, the hinge conneeting'tho arm A and back-frame B; cl, the pivot connecting lower end of seat-front with connecting-bar A1; a2, the joint between bars A1 and A2; a3, the rock-shaft, extending between the lower end of the hind legs B, and on which, at each end of it, inside of the legs, are the pawls C C, rigidly' fixed; l Z1, the hooks at the lower ,end of the legs, and which are made to fit into the notches 2 2 @Z2 inthe plates d* d1, on the inclined foot-beard D D. e isa rod, connecting the pawl C with bell-crank Cl at el; e2, the pivot of hell-crank; c3, the spring which keeps the crank in place. Z1 d1 are the metal plates on the inclined footboards, having out on them the elongated slots (Z2, and the rectangular notches d5 da, in which the pawls C C tit when the seat is to be operated; e, the brace, supporting standard E.

By the foregoing description ofthe ligures, it will bc seen that, to operate the seat so as to give any desired angle, the occupant can` readily take hold of lever C2 under the arm, and, byforcing it forward,lthe rod c is moved, the pawl C is lifted. The movement ofthe body upon the back, D, will cause the lower end ofthe leg to descend along the inclined, the hooked part bheing the plate d1. So soon as the desired position is obtained, the lever is released, and the spring e3 forces it back, and the pawl, by its own weight, immediately drops into the nearest notch d3 in the plate; and in this position the scat must remain until theoccupant desires a change of position, which can be donc at once, in the same manner, backwards or forwards.

To reverse the direction of the chair,'or to change fronts, the choir canbe lifted from its 'bearings at E E', and turned around, as in g.' 2; `and, as the foot-boardslon each end of the -pliuth are exact counterparts the several parts of the chair, to wit, the ho'oks bl and pnwIs'G C, will lit their correspondingjnotehes nt either end. -Each seat has its own platform, `and in the cars these platforms muy be permanently fixed or movable.

-lhese seats can be readily turned upon` their standards, and, as each Asont isl independent, the occupant can adopt any angle to suit convenience und comfort, without interfering with his neighbor; and this method will prevent persons from loungingcross two sets, orr putting their `feet upon the upholstery. The chair will be n more comfortable lounge or bed than the mostindolent of.passengers could make of the ordinary two-seat concerns now in use. f

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim therein as new, and desire' to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, isl I i 4 1. The combination of the arm A with the bars Al and A2, and rock-shift a3, and the bell-crank C, and rod c, to operate the pawl C, substantially as and for the purpose specied.

2. The combination o f the above parts, A, A1, A, a3, C, c, and C, with the hook b of the leg, with the notched plates d1, for the purpose specied, and as substantially described. I

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

i W. N. BRAGG.

Witnesses:

JOHN D; B Loon, EDWIN JAMES. 

